The present invention relates to a contact lens cleaning apparatus which uses a clockwork to oscillate a lens cage in the cleaning solution in a container, which lens cage is comprised of two symmetrical halves for holding the left eye contact lens and the right eye contact lens respectively.
Contact lenses must be regularly cleaned to prevent contaminations. If cleaning contact lenses with water or a cleaning solution by hand, the lens surface will be damaged easily and, a secondary contamination problem tends to happen. FIG. 1 shows a contact lens cleaning apparatus designed for cleaning contact lenses without direct contact of the hands. This structure of contact lens cleaning apparatus comprises a container to hold a cleaning solution, a bottom cover covered on the container, a lens cage suspended in the container, a top cover covered on the bottom cover and having an internal gear, a rotary knob having a bottom rod inserted through a hole on the top cover and a hole on the bottom cover and then coupled to the lens cage, a sun gear fixedly mounted around the bottom rod of the rotary knob, and a planet gear meshed between the sun gear and the internal gear. When the rotary knob is rotated, the lens cage is turned in the cleaning solution, and therefore the contact lenses are cleaned. The lens cage has two openings at the bottom through which contact lenses can be inserted into or taken out of the lens cage. This structure of contact lens cleaning apparatus is still not satisfactory in function. One drawback of this structure of contact lens cleaning apparatus is that the lens cage be turned in the cleaning solution only when the rotary knob is rotated with the hand. If the lens cage is not turned by the rotary knob, the contact lenses in the lens cage are simply dipped in the cleaning solution, and a satisfactory cleaning effect will not be achieved. Another drawback of this structure of contact lens cleaning apparatus is that lens cage is not openable and simply marked with L and R marks for the recognition of the contact lenses, and the user tends to make a mistake in wearing the contact lenses.
There is also known an electric contact lens cleaning apparatus which can automatically clean contact lenses. However, electric contact lens cleaning apparatus are commonly huge and expensive. When an electric contact lens cleaning apparatus is operated, the lens cage is turned at a high speed, and the lens surface of the contact lenses tends to be deformed. Furthermore, if an electric contact lens cleaning apparatus uses battery power supply to drive the mechanism, it will cause environmental pollutions.